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Many factors at play contributed to Colden's marginalization and the struggles she faced throughout her career. A large reason why she struggled to receive recognition and become a successful botanist was due to her gender. In blunt terms, being a woman prevented Jane Colden from succeeding in botany. In this section, we dive into the role of gender and women in science.
Gender Roles
Gender Roles
Stereotypes: In science, there is the assumption that scientists do not include those involved in reproduction, therefore women. These stereotypes that women need to be concerned with bearing and raising children limit their ability to be integrated into science. This assumption stems into the stereotype of gender roles between women and men. Women are seen as less reliable as they have a role to play as a wife and a mother at home (Schiebinger 1993).
There is an assumption of the “little lady syndrome”, which is a stereotype that women are seen as a supporting role to a male coworker and cannot comprehend complex scientific problems (Schiebinger 1993).
https://www.chemistryworld.com/opinion/rooting-out-sexism/9356.article
Sexism: Throughout many articles, there has been a predominant sense that Colden was credited as an accomplished female scientist. Colden was never credited for being an accomplished scientist, there was also the description that her accomplishments were extraordinary because she was a woman (Harrison 1995). Biological determinism was also referenced, that women cannot conduct science as well as men. Arguments such as hormonal effects, the skull size of women being smaller than a man's and therefore they had less powerful brains, and the lower body temperature of women made them weak. One comment was made by Harvard doctor Edward Clark that if women used their brains, their ovaries would shrivel (Schiebinger 1993). A completely arbitrary comment that suggests that women's academic capabilites are linked to their reproductive abilities.
Lack of and poor Representation: Jane Colden was described as the first female botanist and the first female to attempt Linnaues’ plant classification system (Vail 1907). This sheer lack of female botanists resulted in an absence of mentors and colleagues putting Colden in a minority within her field. There is a deep cultural history of women being represented poorly in society, from the colour pink to toys.
https://nohat.cc/f/jigsaw-puzzle-with-missing-piece-missing-puzzle-pieces-free-photo/296c04b305274d03aa1b-201909090202.html
Women in Science
Women in Science
While the academies of science were founded in the 17th century, women were just recently introduced into these academies with the first women in the Paris Academy of science being allowed entry in 1979 (Schiebinger 1993). The exclusion of women into universities played a major role in maintaining the gender gap in science. There are not an equal amount of women and men in scientific fields, as well, there is a lack of women in leadership positions (Schiebinger 1993). As mentioned above, women face stereotypes, sexism, and lack of representation within their field. These are all contributing factors that can hinder female motivation to pursue academic fields as well as feel as though they are working in an inclusive environment.
As of 2022, women represent around 30% of the scientific world's researchers (Boccaccini and Lam 2023). While there have been steps toward reducing the gender gap in science, there is still much to be done.
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